Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is navigating some family drama. Speaking on The Daily Beast Podcast’s latest episode, Cuomo addressed the sore subject that is his (former) brother-in-law Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
RFK Jr., President Donald Trump’s HHS secretary, has long made headlines for his positions on public health, vaccinations and, well, dead bears. His role in the Trump administration (and amid a measles outbreak) has proved particularly controversial.
“I try not to comment on him,” Cuomo—who was for 15 years married to Kerry Kennedy before they divorced in 2005; the couple share three children—explained of Kennedy Jr. “I obviously know him very well, for 15 years or even more… And, uh, this has gotten very complicated within the family, as you know. So I try to stay out of it.”
And while Cuomo acknowledged that some of Kennedy’s positions are “problematic,” he declined to elaborate further.
In his interview with co-hosts Joanna Coles and “chief content officer of filling in for Samantha Bee” Isaac Mizrahi, however, Cuomo did speak on several other controversial topics, including his decision to (temporarily) step back from the political spotlight, New York City “death spiral” and the last time he tangled with Trump.
Mizrahi came ready to give Cuomo some advice on what to wear. The fashion designer told Coles that style was the “cornerstone” of politics—“a cornerstone, I think, of any good campaign,” he argued. “If you get the style right, you can go on to solving the world’s problems.”
“Well, let’s hope you can solve New York City’s problems,” Joanna added as she introduced Cuomo, who recently announced his mayoral run in the Big Apple.
Cuomo served as New York’s governor for a decade before resigning in 2021 following multiple sexual harassment allegations leveled against him. A 2024 settlement between New York and the Department of Justice ruled that Cuomo had “repeatedly subjected” women to non-consensual sexual conduct, ogling and nicknames. Cuomo denies all allegations.
While he explained he had spent his time in the years since largely out of the public eye, Cuomo said he still kept his eye on the city where he was born and raised.
“I was watching,” he said. “I watched what was happening with Mayor Adams. I looked at the alternatives, and I am frightened for New York City.”
Cuomo said that he’s “deeply concerned” about the city’s trajectory, which he likened to a potential “death spiral” citing several examples of lurid crime and social decay.
“The only real answer is to start to fix the problems,” he said of his plans if elected. “Show people progress, build optimism, and let them see there is a future and problems are getting better.”
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